Perched on the edge of a jagged cliff overlooking a valley of vibrant hills and towering rocky spires stood an outpost. The singing of four-winged birds sailing across the clouds below harmonized with the rushing waters cascading over ledges throughout the nd.

  Yakeru approached a dome of shimmering translucent energy that surrounded the outpost, its bobbing surface emitting a soft hum. Running his fingers across it, his hand sunk into it, its surface hardening to his touch to ensure he couldn't pass. Pulling out the artifact, a medallion the Fiends had given up, he presented it to the barrier.

  Its surface rippled before a human-sized hole opened, granting him passage. Walking through, the hole closed behind him and he was standing before the outpost he'd been rewarded with after the Fiends had lost the Cn Skirmish.

  Wooden spikes jutted from the earth, surrounding the cluster of buildings and watchtowers interconnected by a network of branching paths. Fgs with a grim reaper insignia stood tall atop the grand walls etched with runes that ran around the outpost, fluttering in the wind.

  Kenji, Fuyumi, and the others got out of the carriage that had dropped them off and made their way to the translucent barrier, Aoi taking the time to absorb the breathtaking view of the valley.

  "It's beautiful," she beamed, watching the multi-shade of orange pnt life clinging to the sides of the rocky spires sway in the wind.

  They pulled out their own medallions and mimicked what Yakeru had done, opening their own entrances in the barrier and joining him on the other side.

  The architecture was a blend of smooth stone and polished steel. The main building was clearly designed to resemble a miniature castle with banners standing proudly atop four watchtowers, fluttering in the humid wind.

  "It's a bit over the top. Did they really need such fortification for inner rim monsters?" Kazeki asked no one in particur.

  "Kane doesn't settle for anything less than grandeur," Yakeru responded as he walked past Kazeki, opening the rge doors of the main building.

  The others followed him inside to find an unsurprisingly luxurious interior. Light artifacts on the pilrs bloomed to life as they stepped foot inside, illuminating the spacious lobby in a soft glow. The marble floor reflected the grim reaper insignia on the high ceiling.

  Yakeru visibly cringed at how fshy the main building was and almost regretted choosing this outpost. Though, he figured every outpost was more or less simir. Fuyumi and Itsuki shared the same unreadable expression while the others looked around in awe.

  Two sets of stairs arched up to the second floor and at the center of the room was a rge round table with a ft triangur artifact. Walking over, Yakeru inspected the artifact which had grooves on the front and back but he didn't know how to activate it to see what it did.

  He fiddled with it a moment before Kenji took it from his hands to study it himself. Within seconds, he shifted a circur pte at the center until they heard it click into pce before it projected a holographic image of the ndscape they were on.

  "I'm assuming this is some kind of conference table," Kenji deduced, twisting the same pte again as the hologram dissolved before setting down the artifact.

  While the others explored the upper floor, Fuyumi walked through a set of double doors in between the stairs. The doors led her to an armory with various sets of armor. To her immediate right was leather armor that shimmered with a faint orange while to her left was a blend of pted armor and chainmail with a severed horn jutting from each side of the helm, a void of darkness beyond the visor's vertical slits.

  Walking further inside, passing by more expensive armor sets, she approached the far end of the room. Hanging on the wall was a wide array of weaponry ranging from spears, swords, and daggers, her gaze naturally gravitating to the daggers on dispy.

  Some were made up of multiple smaller bdes while others emitted an ominous transparent green. As she expected, their designs alone would've cost a small fortune.

  One dagger in particur caught her eye. Picking it up off the wall, it was lighter than her original dagger. She gave it a twirl, the serrated bone-white bde whistling lightly.

  'Armor Killer?' She read the bel underneath the dagger.

  Curious of its practicality, she approached a set of bulky armor, its colr covering the bottom half of the spiked helm. Bringing up the dagger, she ran the bde across its jagged chest pte. Although she barely put much force behind it, screeching metal scratched at the air, leaving behind a shallow gash. She stared at the damaged armor, surprised by how easy it was to slice through it with little effort.

  "We just got here and you're already ruining our equipment?" Yakeru spoke from the doorway.

  "I didn't expect it to cut through so effortlessly." She replied, taking its scabbard.

  "Yeah, as if the name 'Armor Killer' didn't make that apparent," he replied sarcastically.

  "Oh shut up." Fuyumi shot back as she discarded her original dagger and sheath, repcing them with the armor killer. "Did you find anything upstairs?"

  Yakeru walked up to the swords dispyed on the wall, searching for a repcement after Kane had destroyed the st one. "Just staffs and wands. Nothing you'd be interested in. The others went to see the artifacts next door."

  He picked up a sword and unsheathed it to reveal the bde's elegant design. Though it was lightweight, he deemed the design too luxurious for his liking. Returning it, he picked up another and removed the scabbard. The bde was more simplified but the heavier weight wasn't what he was accustomed to.

  Eventually, his eyes nded on a bck and silver scabbard. Sliding the bde out with a satisfying ??????????, he inspected its simple yet slick design. The ft of the bde was jet bck that blended into a gleaming silver edge and a fox charm dangled from the hilt that reminded him of Dash.

  Although the sword was light, it still trembled in his hand. Fuyumi gnced over to see his hand quivering and let out a sigh. "See? You shouldn't have strained your body during that fight."

  He leaned against the wall, setting aside the sword to clench his hand into a fist in an attempt to tame his nerves. "It's not that."

  Fuyumi raised a confused brow, processing his words before she realized. Her face softened slightly as she joined him on the wall. "I see."

  "It's already been more than three months. I thought I would've gotten a good handle on it by now but..."

  "I get it. Something like that isn't very easy to forget." She responded, the unexpected warmth in her voice soothing his nerves.

  "Yeah."

  Silence hung in the air a moment before Fuyumi spoke again. "Don't take this the wrong way, but why didn't you quit after the incident?"

  He pondered the same question ever since the incident but now he felt he had an answer. Albeit a very simple answer.

  "I enjoy adventuring, especially with you and Kenji"—the corners of her lips twitched when hearing this, disrupting her cool demeanor for a split second—"but if I let that day dictate my life, it would strip that away from me."

  She studied the marble floor thoughtfully, reflecting on his words. Since the beginning, Yakeru had always dispyed unwavering resilience. Not only did it manifest through his physical battles, but his psychological battles as well.

  Although they'd experienced that horrible incident together, unfortunately, he suffered the brunt of it. Yet, instead of submitting to his trauma, he was determined to overcome it, something she'd come to be quite envious of. Whereas he worked towards conquering his trauma, she was still living in the shadow of hers, unwilling to let go of the past.

  She gave him a side gnce, her ocean-blue eyes glimmering with a feeling she hadn't felt for him before until now: admiration. She berated herself for thinking there might've been some truth to Maya's words during the Skirmish.

  "But sometimes it feels like I'm just not strong enough to move past it," he continued, his eyes downcast.

  "You idiot. You're stronger than you give yourself credit for." She replied, her words warm with sincerity.

  It was rare for her to shed her icy exterior, but when she did, a genuine tenderness would shine through, something his younger self didn't think was possible for her.

  He let out an amused breath. "I didn't realize the Ice Queen had a knack for counseling."

  She responded with a light punch to his arm, shooting him a gre but there wasn't any real bite behind it.

  Rubbing his arm, he smiled appreciatively. "Thank you, Fuyumi."

  His gratitude made her awkwardly avert her gaze before donning her mask of apathy once again as she pushed off the wall. "Whatever. Don't get used to it."

  *****

  When Rei returned to the Capital, he immediately went to the castle for the council meeting. Although he was eager to hear Sentinel Kiyoshi and Sentinel Haruka's report, a part of him used this as an excuse to leave the encampment, still bitter about his son's humiliating defeat. To see a commoner walk across that stage in his son's pce would've brought Rei more shame.

  He'd given Kane the best education the Capital had to offer, provided funding for his cn, and to top it off, he was the royal prodigy—a recipe for compcency. It should've been an easy victory but Kane had allowed his arrogance to affect his judgment. Rei figured this meeting would distract him from his overwhelming disappointment.

  Arriving at the meeting room, the capital guards stamped their spears as the councilman walked through the doors. The usual Sentinel stood behind the crescent table guarding the rest of the council members who had already arrived.

  It was obvious they were conversing with one another just moments ago until his arrival. He ignored their critical stares, making his way to his usual seat.

  "Councilman Rei," A stiff-backed councilman greeted. Rei nodded in acknowledgment, his foul mood preventing a proper response. "I see your son's defeat has put you in a sour mood."

  "It's to be expected." A councilman adjusting his rounded gsses said to his side.

  "I, too, would be distraught if my daughter was bested under such...amusing circumstances." A balding councilman smirked.

  "I'd suggest you bite your tongues," Rei replied, venom leaking into his rough voice as he took his seat.

  When every council member was present, the men smoothed their suits and straightened their ties, wiping away any trace of imperfections. Their casual air evaporated as they all adopted poise demeanors and impassive expressions.

  Soon the double doors creaked open and in came the two Sentinels, bowing respectfully.

  "Sentinel Kiyoshi. Sentinel Haruka. I trust you both have something useful to report after your brief expedition." Rei urged, eager to hear their discoveries.

  "Yes. And the situation is worse than we initially thought." Kiyoshi responded gravely.

  Rei, along with the other council members, lifted a brow. "Care to eborate?"

  The two Sentinels gnced at one another grimly then back at the council.

  "Allow us to start from the beginning..."